3 ms·

AT&T gives some iPhone 3G owners a break on iPhone 3G S price.

11 points by technologizer 17y ago

deleted 17y ago
[deleted]
- jonknee 17y ago
  While I agree AT&T is terrible (actually, exclusivity is terrible), how did AT&T screw early adopters? They followed the contract you signed and did what they do for every other phone. It's no different from other carriers either.
  - geuis 17y ago
    This will be my 3rd iPhone when I do the upgrade. I bought the 1st gen when it came out, then upgraded a few weeks after the 3G did. I have now had to extend my contract for an additional 2 years two times before, and will again. For the device that I want, I have absolutely no options except for this 1 carrier. This isn't about a contract, its about repeat iPhone customers being handcuffed, bent over, and a line of prisoners playing "shower time" behind you. Its acceptable if you get a 2 year contract that gives you a subsidized phone for free. Those phones cost next to nothing to build and the carrier quickly recoups the cost within the first couple months. The iPhone is different though. You aren't getting the unit for free. You're paying $200(or more) PLUS the 2 year contract. Also, iPhone users pay AT&T more per month. I'm paying about $110 per month for 900 measly minutes, 200 text messages, and "unlimited" data. I haven't yet capped out my phone, but with the bandwidth capabilities of the new phone that's very possible. The iPhone makes it much, much easier to use data and text messages, so its really easy to go over those limits. If I use my 900 minutes? $0.40 PER FREAKING MINUTE. Is AT&T INSANE? AT&T is making thousands of dollars per year, per customer on the iPhone. And they have signed up millions of new ones in the last couple of years. They are literally sleeping in multiple beds of money at this point. Finally, they should keep the phone prices as low as possible ($200 is a great price point) for both new and returning customers. The main reason is that their exclusivity contract with Apple runs out in a couple years. They need to be getting as many of us to sign up for new 2 year contracts as possible before we have other options. They are trying to be greedy in the short-term at the expense of their long-term health.
    - MrFoof 17y ago
      I've never understood the nickel and dime-ing of customers. Ok, I can understand it from certain perspectives but... here's the deal. Wireless carriers? Want to gain a large amount of market share ASAP? Give every 1000 text messages free/month and make unlimited like $5. I'm 27, so I almost never text. However if I date some 23 year old, she'll text me incessantly. Kids? Yeah, we're well aware. They can't live without it. Every carrier can charge and co-exist peacefully, but the first one to knock down that wall will get a good surge of conversions. Sure, other carriers will eventually follow, but now people may not have any motivating reason to switch back, plus the possible inertia of the contract they're in. Their overall revenue will hopefully be around the same, and they've managed to damage their competitors who were slow to follow suit. ----- Next year's WWDC, the big iPhone "boom" feature? My guess is the must-have feature for the USA will be AT&T no longer being the exclusive carrier.
      - jonknee 17y ago
        There are much cheaper options than AT&T and millions of customers do indeed enjoy those lower prices. But with long-term contracts and device exclusivity, consumers don't change all that frequently. Number portability definitely helped though.
    - jonknee 17y ago
      You act as if AT&T's the only greedy one here... AT&T is paying Apple significantly more than $200 for each iPhone it sells (while the figures aren't disclosed, it's much closer to the unsubsidized prices that the public pays--$600 or so). AT&T also pays Apple a significant amount of money every month for every iPhone subscriber (which is probably why service is so much--I agree that the service pricing is insane). They are both making tons of money here, but I think Apple is the real victor in the deal.
snewe 17y ago
Original story: http://www.businessinsider.com/att-to-offer-iphone-3g-owners-cheaper-upgrade-to-3g-s-2009-6 http://www.businessinsider.com/att-to-offer-iphone-3g-owners...

11 points by technologizer 17y ago

deleted 17y ago

[deleted]

jonknee 17y ago
While I agree AT&T is terrible (actually, exclusivity is terrible), how did AT&T screw early adopters? They followed the contract you signed and did what they do for every other phone. It's no different from other carriers either.
- geuis 17y ago
  This will be my 3rd iPhone when I do the upgrade. I bought the 1st gen when it came out, then upgraded a few weeks after the 3G did. I have now had to extend my contract for an additional 2 years two times before, and will again. For the device that I want, I have absolutely no options except for this 1 carrier. This isn't about a contract, its about repeat iPhone customers being handcuffed, bent over, and a line of prisoners playing "shower time" behind you. Its acceptable if you get a 2 year contract that gives you a subsidized phone for free. Those phones cost next to nothing to build and the carrier quickly recoups the cost within the first couple months. The iPhone is different though. You aren't getting the unit for free. You're paying $200(or more) PLUS the 2 year contract. Also, iPhone users pay AT&T more per month. I'm paying about $110 per month for 900 measly minutes, 200 text messages, and "unlimited" data. I haven't yet capped out my phone, but with the bandwidth capabilities of the new phone that's very possible. The iPhone makes it much, much easier to use data and text messages, so its really easy to go over those limits. If I use my 900 minutes? $0.40 PER FREAKING MINUTE. Is AT&T INSANE? AT&T is making thousands of dollars per year, per customer on the iPhone. And they have signed up millions of new ones in the last couple of years. They are literally sleeping in multiple beds of money at this point. Finally, they should keep the phone prices as low as possible ($200 is a great price point) for both new and returning customers. The main reason is that their exclusivity contract with Apple runs out in a couple years. They need to be getting as many of us to sign up for new 2 year contracts as possible before we have other options. They are trying to be greedy in the short-term at the expense of their long-term health.
  - MrFoof 17y ago
    I've never understood the nickel and dime-ing of customers. Ok, I can understand it from certain perspectives but... here's the deal. Wireless carriers? Want to gain a large amount of market share ASAP? Give every 1000 text messages free/month and make unlimited like $5. I'm 27, so I almost never text. However if I date some 23 year old, she'll text me incessantly. Kids? Yeah, we're well aware. They can't live without it. Every carrier can charge and co-exist peacefully, but the first one to knock down that wall will get a good surge of conversions. Sure, other carriers will eventually follow, but now people may not have any motivating reason to switch back, plus the possible inertia of the contract they're in. Their overall revenue will hopefully be around the same, and they've managed to damage their competitors who were slow to follow suit. ----- Next year's WWDC, the big iPhone "boom" feature? My guess is the must-have feature for the USA will be AT&T no longer being the exclusive carrier.
    - jonknee 17y ago
      There are much cheaper options than AT&T and millions of customers do indeed enjoy those lower prices. But with long-term contracts and device exclusivity, consumers don't change all that frequently. Number portability definitely helped though.
  - jonknee 17y ago
    You act as if AT&T's the only greedy one here... AT&T is paying Apple significantly more than $200 for each iPhone it sells (while the figures aren't disclosed, it's much closer to the unsubsidized prices that the public pays--$600 or so). AT&T also pays Apple a significant amount of money every month for every iPhone subscriber (which is probably why service is so much--I agree that the service pricing is insane). They are both making tons of money here, but I think Apple is the real victor in the deal.

snewe 17y ago

Original story: http://www.businessinsider.com/att-to-offer-iphone-3g-owners-cheaper-upgrade-to-3g-s-2009-6 http://www.businessinsider.com/att-to-offer-iphone-3g-owners...